Kit was preparing dinner for the evening, using Apelop meat to make a salad. However, they had run out of pears and had to substitute with apples. Kit couldn't help but think that they needed to find new sources of meat soon, or they may never want to eat Apelop meat again. Suddenly, Mars appeared beside Kit with his sword drawn, causing Kit to jump in fright.

"What is it?" whispered Kit. They hadn’t encountered any danger at night before.

"There’s someone approaching our camp. We don't know if they are friendly or hostile, so we need to be cautious," replied Mars.

Kit stopped what he was doing and drew his own sword, feeling the rush of adrenaline. Mars motioned for Kit to follow him, and they made their way to a large tree near the camp. "Hide in the tree and stay safe. I'll go see what this person wants," instructed Mars.

Kit didn't want to leave Mars alone to deal with the unknown threat, “I’ll come too.”

Mars started shaking his head, “No if they kill both of us, we will lose all our stuff. This way one of us has a chance to get some of our equipment back if things go bad.”

Kit sighed, Mars was right. Dying would not cost them anything but losing their belongings would leave a dent in their purses.

As the unknown danger approached, he prayed that Mars would be able to handle it. Out of the two of them, Mars was definitely better equipped to deal with an unknown threat. He hoped Pint had the instincts to run away in case of danger. Kit wasn't so sure about the giant horse - did it even understand what danger was? He knew he didn't have to worry about Snowball; the little guy would hide and stay safe.

Kit watched from his vantage point in the tree as Mars made their way back to camp without making a sound. As the silence dragged on, so did Kit's anxiety. Images of Mars and Pint being killed, and their possessions stolen flashed through his mind.

The longer the silence stretched, the more Kit's nerves frayed. Not knowing what was happening was worse than having an idea. He couldn't control his breathing as he waited, afraid that his anxious gasps might give away his hiding place.

For what felt like hours, this cycle continued until Kit could no longer stand it. His concern for his friend overrode any worries about their gear. Just as he was about to climb down from the tree, voices drifted over to him from camp.

As Kit watched from the tree, Mars returned to camp and eventually brought back a newcomer. Kit recognised the armour as belonging to Kai, an adventurer who they had met before at Iris’ inn.

"Why are you here, Kai? Aren't you still chasing after the adorable shrewd shifter at Sweet Meadow?" asked Kit, surprised to see the older male.

Kai nodded in acknowledgement, “It is on the move and heading this way.” Kai solemnly looked at the two of them. “you are not safe I’m afraid, neither of you are at a level to deal with it.”

Instead of fear Kit felt a thrill, could he finally be able to be involved in this quest. “What do we do then?”

"I'll stay with you tonight and escort you to town tomorrow. Normally this area is safe for beginner adventurers, but now with the monster roaming around, it's not a good idea to camp here."

"Why is the monster here in the first place?" questioned Kit.

"I'm not sure. This particular adorable shrewd shifter is unlike any others I've encountered before. It seems to be running away from something and is behaving abnormally." Frowned Kai.

Kit curiosity increase. “How is it different?”

"Normally if they escape from their boundary, they usually go on a rampage and kill everything in their path," explained Kai. "These creatures are incredibly powerful and difficult to defeat. It takes a team of Sand Masters to take one down."

"Sand Masters? What are those? And what will you do if you come across the shrewd shifter?" Kit was now starting to get scared.

"Sand Masters are highly skilled fighters who specialise in combating these monsters. It's considered an honour to become one in Golden Opuntia state." Stated Kai proudly.

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"As for your second question, I have a device that can contain the adorable shrewd shifter until a team arrives to deal with it. Hunting and containing these creatures is my job," said Kai nonchalantly. "This particular shrewd shifter has managed to travel farther than any other before, which is unusual for its kind. It also seems more intelligent than its counterparts."

"Should we leave this area now? Are we in danger staying here? Will we be safe in Flower Fields Town?" Kit started to panic.

"Calm down, Kit. You'll be fine. My device can keep us safe and they only come out at night," reassured Kai.

"What do they look like? Are they cute like Snowball?" Kit was curious.

"Actually, there's nothing cute about them. When they first appeared, the desert council wanted to prevent mass panic, so they downplayed the threat by giving them a harmless-sounding name. It worked too well and now people underestimate their destructive capabilities," explained Kai. "During the day, they look like ordinary humans. But at night, they transform into large black humanoids with increased strength and aggression."

"Just one adorable shrewd shifter is enough to destroy a small village. So if I tell you to run, you need to listen," warned Kai.

Kit's fear only grew as he learned more about these creatures. He also realised that he hadn't seen his little friend Snowball since returning to camp.

"Have you seen Snowball, Mars? I'm worried about him being out at night with that shifter around," Kit asked anxiously.

"Who's Snowball?" Kai inquired curiously.

"He's our pet dog, or at least I think he's a dog mixed with a squirrel," Kit explained. "He likes to hunt at night and usually comes back in the morning. But he hasn't returned yet and I'm starting to get worried."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Animals have good instincts and can find a safe place to hide if they feel threatened," Kai reassured Kit.

"I hope so," Kit replied before heading to the camping kitchen to distract himself by making dinner for the three of them. He knew without asking that Kai wouldn't let him go search for Snowball. After dinner, Kai promised to keep an eye out for Snowball and ushered Kit to bed.

The night passed without any events, but Kit had a restless sleep worrying about his furry companion. When he woke up the next morning, he had dark bags under his eyes from his fitful rest.

Kit immediately began searching the camp for Snowball upon waking, but there was no sign of him. Trying to distract himself, Kit practiced sword forms with Mars before taking a shower.

Kai didn't want to waste any more time waiting for Snowball and urged them to leave before nightfall so they could make it to Flower Field town on time. Normally, Kit wouldn't worry too much about Snowball coming home late as it was part of his routine, but this time there was a ferocious creature roaming the area.

Reluctantly, Kit and Mars started packing up the camp at Kai's request. Kit tried to take his time in hopes that Snowball would return soon, but they finished too quickly, and Kai was urging them to leave. Kit felt guilty leaving without Snowball and tried to convince himself that his furry friend would catch up when he was ready.

"You have some interesting pets. One won't move without beer, and the other shows up whenever he pleases," Kai observed.

"They may be unusual, but it makes them more interesting," Kit replied with a smile as he thought about his two animal companions. He had grown fond of Pint during their travels, and Snowball's absence only made him miss him more.

Just as Kit was thinking about Snowball, the little dog came bounding towards them covered in mud. Kit's anxiety disappeared instantly as he ran to give Snowball a hug, although he couldn't pet him like usual due to the sticky mud covering his fur.

To Kit's surprise, Snowball seemed smaller than usual under all the mud and some of it had hardened into a makeshift armour on his fur. "Snowball, you have mud armour!" Kit exclaimed, amused by his pet's new look. Snowball seemed quite proud of himself, with his tongue hanging out and sparkling golden eyes.

"Unfortunately, you can't stay like this. You stink. Mars, can you get the water barrel ready for a bath?" Kit asked.

Mars retrieved a barrel of water and filled a bucket. They swirled a soap bar in the water to create suds, then Kit held onto Snowball tightly so he wouldn't escape. Carefully, they lowered the little dog into the waiting water.

As Mars helped wash Snowball by pouring water over him, the pup began to howl. If Kit didn't know better, he would think Snowball was in danger. But it was just his usual aversion to baths.

Snowball made it clear that he did not enjoy getting clean. His small body wriggled and squirmed, and he even growled as they washed him. Kit scolded him, “You did this to yourself Snowball. You can’t come with me if you are messy!” Eventually, Snowball settled down, resigned to the fact that he had to be cleaned.

Once he was all clean, Kit put Snowball in his sling and glanced at the now-dirty brown water in the bucket. Mars dumped it out, revealing a large pile of sludge at the bottom of the barrel.

"Looks like you rolled around in the mud all night," Kit remarked, surprised by how much dirt had come off such a small dog.

"Well, you were right, he really is an adorable little fellow. Where did you find him?" Kai's face took on a thoughtful expression as he looked at Snowball.

Hearing his name, Snowball poked his head out of the sling and growled at Kai. Kit was taken aback by this behaviour. Even though Snowball posed no real threat to Kai, there seemed to be some tension between them.

Curious about Kai's reaction, Kit thought back to where he had found Snowball. He didn't see any harm in telling Kai.

"I found him in the forest outside of Sweet Meadow," Kit explained. "As soon as I saw him, I felt attached to him."

"Hmm," was all Kai said, remaining silent for the rest of their journey to Flower Field town.

After a couple of hours, they reached the road leading to town, continuing their conversation along the way.